Not for the first time over the past year, the New York Times faced backlash from liberal readers after a Saturday op-ed argued White House senior adviser Stephen Miller should be involved in negotiations to strike an immigration deal.

In "The Necessity of Stephen Miller," Ross Douthat argued that although he did not agree with Miller's immigration stances, the White House adviser represented the roughly one-third of Americans who were restrictionists, as well as many of the Republican lawmakers whose support would be needed to pass immigration law.

"A bargain that actually reflects the shape of public opinion, not just the elite consensus, can only happen with someone like Stephen Miller at the table," Douthat wrote.

Miller, known for his hardline views on immigration, has been criticized in the past for associations with some white nationalists, including Richard Spencer. Miller was an undergraduate student at Duke University at the same time Spencer was a graduate student. The White House adviser, who was raised in a Jewish family, has since said he has "absolutely no relationship" with Spencer and that he "completely repudiate[s] his views."